In the final part of his triptych on numbers and the Void, Julien Chabert transports us this time into the world of sounds and vibrations. He continues his development on numbers and, with the help of the number six, takes us on a journey through Indian and Buddhist traditions. This section concludes his particularly interesting research into the notion of Emptiness, which is so important in our Shiatsu practice.
Six「六」Listening into Space
Six is connected to Space in all its dimensions: front, back, right, left, center, up and down. For Buddhist traditions, each element translates into a sense, which has its own (sensory) awareness. We’re on a slightly more subtle level of perception, even if we remain in the world of forms:
“Smell has the essence of Earth, and taste the essence of Fire. Sight has the essence of Water and touch the essence of Air.”
Kalachakra Tantra, stanza 22, p.110
To step into the realm of Space is to step into the world of the formless and intangible with which we are connected. We can use our consciousness to perceive our environment, even if it’s invisible to our eyes. How can we do this? By listening. Let’s quote the Chinese classics:
“That’s why it’s said in the obituary of the Lord of Yan: ”You listen to him and don’t hear his sounds.
you observe it and do not perceive its form; it fills Heaven and Earth; it encompasses the six directions of space.” [1]
Here’s what the Kalachakra tantra tells us:
“Sound, emptiness「空」, concepts and Spirit belong, O Suchandra, to the shapeless world.” [stanza 84]
“Emptiness「空」, which corresponds to the sensory awareness of hearing, from the family of Space, is the receptacle of sound, from the sphere of non-dual knowledge.”
[stanza 20]
“Consciousness has the characteristic of the hearing.”
[stanza 21]
“In the three worlds, Hearing has the nature of Vajra[2], O Suchandra, and Mind has the nature of Space.”
We can see the tenuous link between hearing, sound, the Space around us and the Consciousness that encompasses all these dimensions. In the same way that Void/Space 「空」 is the receptacle of the physical elements starting with the Earth, sounds enable us to connect Space and Consciousness, and thus connect with the formless aspect of reality. In Chinese thought, the five movements are expressed first and foremost through sound and the hearing that receives them. The five sounds (chin: wu yin五音) emerge first from the astronomical sky「天」. This is the “music of the spheres” or the “Harmony of the Spheres” in Pythagorean terms. As if these sounds were produced by the constant movement of the stars all around us.
Let’s quote again from the Kalachakra Tantra:
“The five primordial sounds of emptiness 「空」represent the original unmanifested nature.”
“Outside the body, in the world, the transit of the Sun takes place in a month of 30 days. It takes place in our body through the subtle veins that make the mandalas of the five elements circulate”.
[stanza 33].
Listening, in every sense of the word, means for our traditions being a little more in touch
with this “Sixth Element”, the consciousness from which all our perceptions of reality derive.
Listening is the sensitive bridge to a world that cannot be perceived by our ordinary sensory organs. [3]
One gesture summarizes our entire speech: a mudra (symbolic gesture), which is systematically associated with the Buddha Dainichi-nyôrai[4] (大日如来): the so-called “six elements” mudra, also known as the “fist of supreme knowledge” (jap: chiken-in 智拳印). As we’ve seen, these are not elements per se, but rather six facets that together make up a single reality.
In this mudra, the five fingers of the right hand represent the five elements, grasping the upright index finger of the left hand, like the consciousness linking these five other aspects of reality. It’s like the symbolic Chinese expression “10,000 beings”, which doesn’t literally refer to 10,000 creatures, but to the 5 dimensions of reality (1+ 0000), linked by the same unit (1), which in Chinese tradition is called the Spirit. (shén 神).
Minerals, plants, animals and humans are all linked to varying degrees by the clarity of spirit (shén míng 神 明), just as the five elements are all derived from and linked to consciousness and space in its six levels.
“The body is inside existence, they are one, like Heaven”
Stanza 29
Sound and light form the first two vibratory aspects of reality, which manifest as the Five Elements. A person’s voice and facial complexion are good clinical examples. The body, as a manifestation of consciousness, receives and perceives them through our sensory awareness. Reconnecting with the consciousness from which they originate means tuning in again to what seems invisible at first glance, and yet is very much there. Always present.
Japanese tradition calls this mode of direct perception “the beginner’s mind”, or as Stéphane Cuypers [5] more aptly translated it recently: “the mind of first impulses”. The first moments when the habits of perception are not yet projected, when space is free and consciousness can receive everything. The body and consciousness can then become a container「器」of information, a vessel of sound and light.
A silk thread on both sides of the Himalayas「経」
The aim of this three-part article is, firstly, to explore the depth of the various models focusing on the Five. Then, to show the practitioner and anyone else interested how different traditions can express similar things in their own language. Traditional speeches are by their very nature cryptic to the neophyte. Being able to answer the following questions about the Void (空) and what we call “the five elements” seems to me particularly important:
- What are we saying?
- How do we say it?
So that everyone can explore the uncharted territory of ancient traditions with greater freedom, clarifying the meaning and usage of the terms from which a tradition is articulated is the first step to any understanding. It is (zheng ming 正名), the “rectification of names” that acts as the common denominator in these two articles.
I have no intention of syncretism, nor to claim that these traditions are identical. Quite the contrary: it’s by seeing their distinctive features that we can perceive all their richness.
The Indian, Tibetan, Chinese and Japanese cultures; the Buddhist, Taoist, Shamanic and Shinto traditions met and shared the best of each other. Especially in Japan. This spirit of assimilation, which can be seen time and again in Japan’s history, demands a thorough understanding of each notion. So that each tradition retains the original flavor that is so characteristic of it, and so that we can assimilate these terms correctly in our own worlds. The silk thread that links these two worlds are the principles to which we have returned. In particular, through symbolism and numerological frameworks.
Since these articles are aimed more at Shiatsu and Chinese medicine practitioners, I thought it would be a good idea to delve deeper into the Indian and Buddhist traditions, as this side of the Himalayas seems less familiar to practitioners in our fields. However, I hope you’ve noticed that a glimpse of this tradition can greatly enrich our practice, if only through the prism of the five elements.
I didn’t choose to go into detail about the correspondences between the 5 elements within the Chinese tradition, as there’s no shortage of information on this subject, which can be found in a number of books.
I thought it more appropriate to present the structure and deployment of this quinary model: two aspects that can often be overlooked.It’s up to each individual to learn to perceive, often with the help of a master, the infinite variety that the five movements can take on inside and outside the human body.In the appendix, the reader will find a summary table that gives an overview of all these models of the five and how they can be observed through concrete signs.
Finally, let us quote the “King of Medicine”, the famous Sun Si Miao, who could not have composed his famous oath if he were not himself a practitioner of Buddhism:
“Students must have access to as many medical sources as possible and must study tirelessly with the utmost attention.
They must speak of nothing but the correct medical path. Only in this way can they avoid mistakes.
When an eminent physician treats a disease, he must have a serene mind and a solid temperament.
He must be a model of compassion and understanding, without personal wishes or desires. He vows to put an end to human suffering everywhere.
If someone suffering horribly from an illness cries out for his help, he will not ask whether he is a nobleman or a commoner, rich or poor, old or young, handsome or ugly, Chinese or foreign, a fool or a wise man, harboring a grudge against him, a close friend or a relative.
They are all equal, and he regards them as if they were all his closest relatives. He will feel deep commiseration, and he will not be put off by dangerous mountains, day or night, cold or heatwave, hunger or thirst, or exhaustion. He will willingly come to the rescue.
Thus, he will be considered a great physician by the people, if he goes against (these principles) he will be considered a great thief of humanity.”
Notes
- [1] Excerpt from chapter 15 of the Zhuangzi, taken from the article “Music and Initiation: Huang Di’s Symphony”, at https://www.jeansylvainprot12.com/musique-et-initiation-la-symphonie-de-huangdi/
- [2] Vajra refers to the qualities of a diamond: both clear and translucent, and incredibly solid. Buddha’s nature is often described in these terms, and the Tantric Buddhist tradition is called Vajrayana: the Way of the Vajra.
- [3] And for those who wonder: deaf people do indeed perceive space differently from hearing people. See a video on this subject in the Bibliography.
- [4] Dainichi-nyôrai, whose name means “the Great Sun thus come”, is the principal Buddha of the esoteric Shingon school.
- [5] Stéphane Cuypers, Brussels-based practitioner, teacher and author. Visit his blog here: Shinmon Shiatsu Blog
To find out more
- “Comment mieux me connaître grâce aux 5 éléments”, Daniel Laurent, 2017, éditions des 5 éléments.
- “Des planètes et des mains”, Yves Réquéna, éditions de la Maisnie, 1997, Guy Trédaniel.
Sources
- Life, Medicine and Wisdom: Su Wen, the first eleven treatises. Translation by Élisabeth Rochat de la Vallée and Claude Larre, Institut Ricci, éditions du cerf, 2012.
- Ling Shu, Volume 1, Translation and commentary by Constantin Milsky & Gilles Andrès; éditions de La Tisserande, Paris, 2009.
- Tantra de Kalachakra, éditions Desclée de Brouwer, 2020.
- La symbolique des nombres dans la Chine traditionnelle, Elisabeth Rochat de la Vallée, Sagesse Orientales Desclée de Brouwer, 2006.
- L’Art sublime et ultime des Points Vitaux, Henry Plée, 8th edition, 2007.
- Living with the stars: How the Human Body is connected to the Life Cycles of the Earth, the Planets and the Stars, Karel Schrijver and Iris Schrijver, Oxford, 2015.
- Music and initiation to the Huangdi Symphony, Jean-Sylvain Prot, read on his blog.
- Arte documentary: “Les pouvoirs du cerveau, déchiffrer la conscience” (in French)
- TEDx conference: Perception of space for deaf people
Author
- The music of consciousness: 空 the Void in all its forms (part 3) - 29 March 2024
- The Five Elements bowl: 空 the Void in all its forms (part 2) - 20 December 2023
- The space within a character: 空 the Void in all its forms (part 1) - 25 September 2023
- Principle : Omote-Ura「表-裏」 - 3 July 2022
Translator
Fascinated by Energy and everything that is related to the development of the Human Being, he started his career as an Energy Therapist before training with Florent Dagobert in the school "La Voie Shiatsu" as a Shiatsu Specialist (RNCP title).
Francois-remy continues to integrate various techniques through additional training and reading, which is one of his passions.
